LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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Shelf 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE 



SCIENCE AND ART 



-OF- 



ELOCUTION, 



WITH 



SELECTIONS FOR PRACTICE. 



JOHN G. SCORER, 

Principal of the 

Cleveland School of Elocution and Oratory, 

Cleveland, Ohio. 



%$ \ 



COPYRIGHT, 189I,. BY JOHN G. SCORER. 



CLEVELAND, O. : 
ACME PRINTING COMPANY, 

189I. 



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INTRODUCTION. 



"TOR the convenience of former and present pupils of the Cleveland 
\£LJ School of Elocution and Oratory, I have been prompted to issue 
this brief outline of the Science and Art of Elocution with Selec- 
tions for Practice. 

E'locution is the expression of thought and feeling by voice and 
gesture. 

It is a Science and an Art. The Science consists of its true principles; 
the Art the manner of presenting them, or Science is the knowledge of 
Art and Art is the practice of Science. The principles spiing out of the 
nature of things, and are not the arbitrary rules of skillful teachers. 

The student should be educated upon a well regulated and scien- 
tific plan of instruction ; should be given real and not superficial culture. 
The aim should be quality rather than quantity . 

Good reading and speaking require distinct enunciation, to be heard; 
proper emphasis, to be understood, and correct expression to be felt. 

To become a master of the art of Elocution requires assiduous and 
painstaking labor, and is well worthy of your greatest effort, for; "Of 
equal honor with him who writes a grand poem, is. he who reads it 
grandly." 

JOHN G. SCORER. 



BREATHING. 



Proper control of the organs of respiration is very im- 
portant as they exert great influence over, the power of the 
voice. 

Chest Breathing for the upper part of the lungs. 

Abdominal Breathing for the lower part of the lungs. 

Costal Breathi?ig for the side muscles. 

Dorsal Breathing for the muscles of the back. 

Deep Breathing, the combination of the above, for the 
entire lung capacity. 

Sustained Breathing, Effusive Breathing, Expulsive 
Breathing, Explosive Breathing. 

In these exercises there must be no upward movement 
of the shoulders. All movements must be lateral. 

Breath should be taken noiselessly through the nose, 
except when employed as a means of expression, as in fright, 
surprise, etc. 

Exercise for Erect Carriage of the Body. 

Take a full inspiration, expand the chest to its fullest 
capacity, keep the abdomen flat. Hold the muscles in this 
position while counting twenty and advance a step at each 
count. 

The greater the length of time occupied in each exercise 
.the better the result.- xAfter each exercise the student should 
take a full inspiration for a rest. 

DEVELOPMENT AND CULTIVATION OF THE VOICE. 

Orthophony. — The systematic cultivation of the voice for 
the purposes of reading, speaking or singing. A voice of 
wide compass and real timbre or tone, .is essential to every 
reader or speaker. 



A, e, i, o, u, oi, ou. 
.Roll! Say! Ba, be, bi, bo. 

Fa, fe, fi, fo Fatal fevers fight foemen. 

Ha, he, hi, ho, halt. 

Stale ale will fail to regale. 

''Sound the loud timbrel oe'r Egypt's dark sea: 

Jehovah hath conquered, and his people are free!" 

"Strike, till the last armed foe expires!" 

"Stand, the ground's your own my braves." 

"Lead them out, and tell it everywhere, that Comodus 
is the incomparable bowman of Rome!" 

"Steady, boys steady, keep your arms ready, God only 
knows whom we may meet here." 

Horrible, horrible, most horrible! 

"Now, look at the bounding fire eyed tigers! See, how 
one leads the other in the awful race to the feast!" 

"Revenge! remember Limerick! dash down the Sas- 
senagh!" 

Recite short passages, which require intense force, with 
a clear, pure tone and all the power you can command. 

In practicing these exercises don't constrict the muscles 
of the neck and throat. Work for solidity of tone. 

The diaphragm and waist muscles constitute the primary 
instrument in the production of tone. They are the motive 
or propelling power. The larynx, tongue, teeth, lips, etc., 
constitute the secondary instrument in the production of tone. 

In the act of speaking, the action of the waist muscles 
must be outward. 

In ordinary respiration the breath is given out by relaxa- 
tion, where as in the act of speaking it is given out by a con- 
trolled effort, or resistance to relaxation, in order to econ- 
omize breath. This is accomplished by a downward pressure 
of the diaphragm and waist muscles. The lung cavity is 
compressed by the ribs while the out go of breath is regulat- 
ed by the diaphragm. 

Observe the action of the waist muscles in the follow- 
ing exercises: — Take a moderate emphatic position and exert 



5 

yourself as if lifting a heavy weight from the floor; now as if 
lifting a weight over head; now strike out directly in front 
of you with the right hand. 

THE SILENT PRACTICE. 

Take a deep inspiration, then exhale effusively, forcing 
the air well up into the nasal passages without producing 
any vocal ity. 

PRACTICE HINTS UPON DIFFICULT YOWEL SOUNDS. 

A, as in arm. OO, as in ooze. 

A, as in ask. OO, as in book. 

A, as in air U, as in duty. 

E and I, as in her and sir. 

Long Italian a (a) occurs in monosyllables and accented 
syllables, before r, final or r followed by a consonant, also 
in the derivatives of such words. It is frequently mispro- 
nounced when followed by n't, If, lm, and sk. 

Avaunt, taunt, daunt, haunt, flaunt, qualm, laugh, 
pardon, psalm, wrath, salve, aunt, can't, calm, balm, palm, 
saunter, laundry, hearth, launch, haunch, mustache, half, 
calf, barn, darn, ha, yarn, bath. Form short sentences each 
containing one of the above words. 

Short Italian a (a) is chielly found in monosyllables 
ending in ff, ft, sh, sk, sp, st, with a few in nee and n't. 
Pass, class, mass, glass, grass, staff, quaff, chaff, raft, cash, 
ask, bask, mask, last, past, mast, gash, rasp, clasp, grasp, 
hasp, draft, waft, raft, chant, slant, grant, lance, chance, 
advance, avast. 

Medial a (a) is generally followed by r. Avoid a and a 
Care, dare, rare, fair, lair, hair, stare, bear, pair, prayer, 
parent, flaring, sharing, glaring, declaring, barely, aware, 
scarcely, apparent, tearing. 

E or /followed by r in a monosyllable or an accented 
syllable, in which the r is not followed by an other r, {merry) 
or a vowel (merit), has the sound of e in her. This is the 
only sound that cannot be given alone. Verge, herd, pearl, 



learn, perch, stern, berth, inter, prefer, earnest, mercy, 
servant, perfect, certain, defer, jerking, superb, kernel, 
nerve, herbage, person, vertical, mirth, dirk, first, firm, 
mirky, quirl, quirk, gird, sir, dirt, dirl, girl, circulate, cir- 
cular, circum. 

Long oo and short oo are the same in quality but differ 

. in quantity. Boon, boot, cool, coop, doom, food, fool, goose, 

hoof, hoop, hoot, coot, loom, loop, loose, mood, moon, noon, 

ooze, pool, poor, rood, roof, room, roost, soon. Book, brook, 

cook, crook, foot, good, soot, wood, cooper. 

The diphthong u is a combination of short y and long 
oo. The difficulty in uttering this sound is experienced when 
it is preceded by d, t, 1, n, s and th, Short y is formed in 
the back part of the mouth, and long oo in the extreme front. 
In passing from the preceding letter, which is formed in the 
front part of the mouth, to the u, the y sound is omitted un- 
less care is given in pronouncing it. 

Due, durable, tumult, lute, numerous, sue, suit, duke, 
tube, Tuesday, lure, nutriment, student, dupe, tune, lunacy, 
lucid, nucleus, stupid, duty, tutor, Lutheran, nude, numeral, 
superintend, institute, thurible. 

When u is preceded by the sound ch, r, sh, or zh, the y 
is omitted. 

Rue, rule, ruby, rumor, Rufus, Rudolph, sure, rude, 
ruse, ruin, rnral, Rupert, chute, surety. 

THE EXPRESSION OF THE IDEA, 

H-o-r-s-e, ii7-e-phant, In-di-vid-u-a/-i-ty. 

The powers are fading. The sun has hid his rays. 

Principle deduced. — If w T e would read as we speak, we 
must read ideas and not words, and speak all the words of a 
group, with one impulse of mind and voice. 

Kmphasis consist in making one or more words of a sen- 
tence stand out more prominently than the other words of 
the sentence. 

Every word expressing a new idea requires emphasis. 



Words expressing that which is well known or under- 
stood need no emphasis. 

Elocution is a useful study. Are you going to the city 
to-day? "Thy duty has been nobly done." "Suffer not 
yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss." "And it was the 
Sabbath day that the Lord made the clay and opened his 
eyes." "Heaven consists of all that is good and true; but 
Hell consists of all that is false and evil." "Slaves cannot 
breathe in England. " "Speak the speech I pray you, as I 
pronounced it to you, — trippingly on the tongue; but if you 
mouth it, as many of your players do, I had as lief the town — 
crier spoke my lines." "I have gathered a posy of other 
men's flowers; nothing but the thread that binds them is my 
own." "From the work-shop of the Golden Key, there 
issued a tinkling sound, so merry and good humored, that it 
suggested the idea of some one working blithely, and made 
quite pleasant music." "But the father said to his servants, 
Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring 
on his hand, and shoes on his feet." 

"And had he not high honor? 
The hill-side for his pall; 

To lie in state wdiile angels w T ait 
With stars for tapers tall ; 

And the dark rock pines, like tossing plumes, 
Over his bier to wave; 

And God's own hand, in that lonely laud, 
To lay him in the grave." 

Ideas are made clear and distinct: — 

1. By giving the word with greater force than the other 
words of the sentence — "I shot an arrow into the air." 

2 . By giving the word more time than the other words 
of the sentence. "T-i-m-e shall omvard roll." 

3. By an upward or downward slide of the voice on 
the finish of the accented syllable of the word to be em- 
phasized, as, Are you going to the city to-day? 

Positive sentences require the falling slide; negative or 
doubtful sentences the rising slide, 



The long sounds of the vowels take emphasis by Hme\ 
the short sounds emphasis by force or slide. 

NOTE- — The power of emphasis depends upon concen- 
tration, so don't emphasize too many words. Where all are 
generals, there are no privates. 

QUALITY.. 

The natural division of Quality is into Pure and Impure. 

Pure Quality is recognized as Natural and Orotund. 

Natural Quality is the medium of pure conversation; as, 
"Is it you, Jack? Old boy, is it really you? I shouldn't 
have known you but that I was told you might be expected; — 
pray, how do you do?" 

Orotund Quality is the result of the most complete use 
of the vocal organs, and is clear, full, deep and musical. It 
is recognized in three divisions, Effusive, Expulsive, and 
Explosive. 

Effusive Orotund. — In this form of the Orotund the 
voice is poured forth in a continuous stream. It is the voice 
oi grand, sublime and reverential thought; as, "Roll on, thou 
deep and bark blue Ocean — roll." 

Expulsive Orotund, instead of pouring forth in a con- 
inuous stream as in the Effusive Orotund, issues in the form 
of a short shout. All oratorical styles require this form of 
utterance; as, "Sir, they who revile us for our opposition to 
the last war, have looked only to the surface of things." 

The Explosive Orotund is an instantaneous burst of the 
yoice with a clear and sudden effect, resembling the report 
of a pistol. All selections of bold address, anger, hurry and 
commotion come under this head; as, 

"Stormed at with shot and shell, 
Boldly they rode and well: 

Into the jaws of death, 
Into the mouth of hell, 

Rode the six-hundred." 

Impure Quality is recognized as Aspirate, Guttural, 
Pectoral and Falsetto. 



In Aspirate Quality the breath preponderates. It is the 
language of surprise, caution, secrecy, fear, etc. 

''Hark! they whisper: angels say, 

Sister spirit, come away ! ' ' 

"Soldiers, you are now within a few steps of the enemy's 
outposts." 

The Guttural Quality is a vicious use of the vocal organs; 
the sounds are harsh and are formed largely in the throat. 

''Thy threats, thy mercy, I defy! 

Let recreant yield, who fears to die." 

The Pectoral Quality is found below the medium register 
of the voice and is used to express awe, horror, dread and 
remorse. It is also the language of supernatural beings. 

"I am thy father's spirit; doomed for a certain time to 
walk the night, and for the day confined to fast in fires, till 
the foul crimes done in my days of nature, are burned and 
purged away." 

The Falsetto Quality is found above the medium register 
of the voice, as in children's and high pitched female voices. 

"Good night! Papa, Jessie see you in the morning." 

"Well, ye ain't goin' to set there like a bump on a log 
'thout sayin' a word to pay for your vittles, air ye?" 

FORCE. 

Force relates to the power or loudness of the voice, and 
is known as Standard and Emphatic. 

Standard Force is that general force given to all the 
w T ords. 

Emphatic Force is that special force given to the em • 
phatic words. 

The Standard Force varies with the general spirit of the 
selection; the Emphatic Force with the distinctive ideas. All 
unemotional ideas require moderate force; earnest ideas, full 
force and subdued ideas, soft force. 



MODERATE FORCE. 

4 'It was a most interesting case, Mr. Groly was driven 
into our church one Sabbath by a shower of rain; and into 
whose pew should he come but ours. We noticed that Dr. 
Daidlaw's sermon affected him most powerfully, and he told 
us himself afterwards that he went away that day a new man," 
FULL FORCE. 

"Oh! dwellers in the nether gloom, avengers of the 
slain, 

By this dear blood I cry to you, do right between us 
twain ; 

And even as Appius Claudius hath dealt by me and 
mine, 

Deal you by Appius Claudius and all the Claudiun 
line!" 

SOFT FORCE. 

"Perhaps, in the silent valley of death, the little one was 
thinking of the merry spring time she had hoped to see. ' ' 

STRESS. 

Stress is a special force applied to individual sounds. 

Radical Stress b^»- is the application of sudden force 
to the opening of a tonic element as in the act of coughing. 
It is used in anger, fear, determined will, earnest argument, 
etc. 

Thorough Stress WBm is the application of an even force 
to all parts of a sound as in oratorical styles. 

Vanishing Stress -^^ is sudden force applied to the 
close or vanish of a tonic element. It is the natural utter- 
ance of determined purpose, contempt, fierce and obstinate 
will; as, 

"Let the consequences be what they will, I am deter- 
mined to proceed." 

In Median Stress *^fc> the force swells out at the middle 
of the sound and is used in sentimental, grand, sublime and 
reverential styles. 



PITCH. 

The High and Low of the voice is called Pitch, and is 
recognized as Medium, High and Low. 

The sentiment of a passage determines its Pitch. 

Medium Pitch is employed in all unemotional language. 

High Pitch is used in shouting, command, joy and ex- 
treme grief. To secure High Pitch begin at the middle 
register of the voice and ascend the musical scale four notes. 

Low Pitch. — Solemnity, melancholy, reverence, awe and 
language of the supernatural require Low Pitch. For Low 
Pitch, descend the musical scale four notes from the middle 
register of the voice. 

SLIDES OF THE YOICE. 

The Slide is a continuous movement of the voice from 

one pitch to another. 

Slides are Rising and Falling, and when united are 

known as the Wave or Circumflex. 

Positive Language takes the Falling Slide; as, 
"The war must go on. We must fight it through." 
Negative or Doubtful Language takes the Rising Slide; 

as, "This is no Grecian fable of fountains running wine, 

Of maids with snaky tresses or sailors turned to swine." 

The Wave or Circumflex is used to express irony, 

sarcasm, surprise, astonishment, etc. 

"Banished from Rome! What's banished, but set free 
From daily contact of the things I loathe?" 

TIME. 

Time relates to the rapidity of the utterance and has the 
same general use as Force. The prevailing spirit of a select- 
ion will determine the standard rate of utterance. The 
standard time is medium if the prevailing spirit is unemo- 
tional. 

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of an- 
gels, and have not charity. I am become as sounding brass, 
or a tinkling cymbal." 



12 



In language of gayety aud hasty action the standard 
time is rapid. 

''Charge for the golden lilies now, upon them with the 
lance!" 

In language of solemnity, awe and slow movement, the 
standard time is slow. 

"The stillness of the house was death like — all save the 
measured beat of the old clock on the mantle, with its ag- 
onizing throb — throb — throb!" 

PAUSES. 

The Rhetorical Pause is simply a breathing place or 
"gesture of the mind," and consists in suspending the voice 
directly before or after the utterance of a word that is im- 
portant. It sometimes coincides with the grammatical pause. 

The Grammatical Pauses, indicated by the punctuation 
marks, are used to give the author's meaning. 

The character of the utterance must determine their 
length. 



MELODY. 



The effect of Pitch, employed on all the words of a sen- 
tence, is called the Melody of Speech. 

Current Melody is the effect of the rise and fall of the 
voice, employed on all the syllables of a sentence, except the 
last three, and is produced partly in the concrete and partly 
in the discrete scale. 

The beauty of Current Melody consists in skillfully 
varying the pitch of the phrases as they progress, and in 
properly managing the rise and fall within the whole range 
of intonation. In unimpassioued speech, the voice in pass- 
ing from one syllable to another, passes concretely through 
a whole tone on the musical scale. In impassioned speech, 
it may traverse the octave. In pathos, semitones predom- 
inate. 



13 

Melody of the Cadence. — The intonation, applied to the 
last three syllables of a sentence, constitutes the Melody of 
the Cadence. It is made with the successively downward 
radicals, from the key note of the current melody, and fc 
called the Triad of the Cadence. The vanish, 
on the third radical, is downward to bring the & A 

current to a complete close. * 

The Comma denotes a momentary suspension of the 
though^, hence the voice is simply suspended with a very 
slight upward concrete. See first note in the Triad of the 
Cadence. 

The Semicolon indicates a partial closing of the sense. 
The voice passes through three notes, alter- 
nately a tone below and above one the other, l ^ & T 
with a downward vanish on the third. 

The Penultimate Slide is a simple upward slide of the 
voice on the penultimate clause, for the purpose of getting 
a good ending. 

"Doing well has something more in it than the fulfilling 
of a duty. It is the cause of a just sense of elevation of 
character; it clears and strengthens the spirits; it gives 
higher reaches of thought; it widens our benevolence, and 
makes the current of our peculiar affections swift and 
deep." 

PRINCIPLES OF EXPRESSION. 

I define Principles of Expression to be the utterance of 
words with their accompanying emotions; suiting the voice 
to the thought to be expressed by a corresponding feeling or 
emotion. 



PATHOS. 



Principles Involved. — Natural Voice, Effusive 
Utterance aud Slide of Semitone. 
A, e, i, o, u. My mother! 



i4 



''Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean, 

Tears from the depth of some divine despair 

Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, 

In looking on the happy autumn fields, 

And thinking of the days that are no more." 
"Ah, Hal, I'll try; 

But in my throat there's something chokes, 

Because you see, I've thought so long 

To count her in among our folks. 

I s'pose she must be happy now, 

But still I will keep thinking too, 

I could have kept all trouble off 

By being tender, kind and true. 

But maybe not, She's safe up there, 

And when the Hand deals other strokes, 

She'll stand at Heaven's gate, I know, 

And wait to welcome in our folks." 

"That night Nora was taken ill also; very suddenly, she 
grew worse fast. In the morning she called me to her, and 
said, — 'Tell Connor I died thinking of him, and tell him to 
meet me! and my man, God help you, she never said any- 
thing more — in an hour she was gone." 

REPRESENTATIVE SELECTIONS. 

Pictures of Memory, Alice Cary. The Bridge of Sighs, 
Hood. Bingen on the Rhine, Norton. Our Folks, Lynn. 

Note. — The reader or speaker degrades his speech, when 
he allows himself to shed tears. To influence others, we 
must control ourselves. The artist controls and is not 
controlled. 



SOLEMNITY. 



Principles Involved. — Natural Voice, Effusive 
Utterance, and Low Pitch. 
A, e, i, o, u, oi, ou. 



From that chamber, clothed in white, 
The bride came forth on her wedding night; 
There, in that silent room below, 
The dead lay in his shroud of snow; 
And in the hush that followed the prayer, 
Was heard the old clock on the stair, — 
' 'Forever — never! 
Never — forever!" 
All are scattered now and fled, 
Some are married, some are dead; 
And when I ask, with throbs of pain, 
"Ah! when shall they all meet again?" 
As in the days long since gone by, 
The ancient timepiece makes reply, — 
1 'Forever — never! 
Never — forever!" 
Never here, forever there, 
Where all parting, pain and care, 
And death and time shall disappear, — 
Forever there, but never here! — 

Longfellow, 
"By the flow of the inland river, 

Whence the fleets of iron have fled. 
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver 

Asleep are the ranks of the dead; — 
Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day; — 
Under the one, the Blue, 

Under the other the Gray." 
"How still and peaceful is the grave, 
Where, — life's vain tumults past, — 
The appointed house, by Heaven's decree, 
Receives us all at last!" 

REPRESENTATIVE SELECTIONS. 
Thanatopsis, Bryant The Bridge, Longfellow. The 
Blue and the Gray, Finch. The Last Leaf, Holmes. 



SERENITY, BEAUTY, LOYE, AND TRANQUILITY. 

Principles Involved. — Natural Voice, Effusive 
Utterance and High Pitch. 

"O lovely Mary Donnelly, its you I love the best! 
If fifty girls were around you, I'd hardly see the rest; 
Be what it may the time of day, the place be where it will,' 
Sweet looks of Mary Donnelly, they bloom before me 

still." 
"Oh the bells of Shandon 
Sound far more grand on 
The pleasant waters 
Of the river Lee." 
"Over the rail 
My hand I trail 
Within the shadow of the sail, 
A joy intense, 
The cooling sense, 
Slides down my drowsy indolence." 

"Beautiful was the night. Behind the black wall of the 

forest, 
Tipping its summit with silver, arose the moon. On the 

river 
Fell here and there through the branches a tremulous 

gleam of the moonlight, 
Like the sweet thoughts of love on a darkened and devi- 
ous spirit." 
"Was it the chime of a tiny bell 

That came so sweet to my dreaming ear, 
Like the silvery tone of a fairy's shell, 

That he winds on the beach so mellow and clear, 
When the winds and the waves lie together asleep, 

And the moon and the fairy are watching the deep, 
She dispensing her silvery light, 
And he his n otes as silvery quite, 

While the boatman listens and ships his oar, 



I 



17 

To catch the music that comes from the shore : 

Hark! the notes on my ear that play, 
Are set to words: as they float, they say, 

"Passing away! passing away!" 

REPRESENTATIVE SELECTIONS. 

The Bells of Shandon, Mahony. Drifting, Read. 
When the Kye come Hame, Hogg. Passing Away, Pierpont 

EFFUSIVE OROTUND. 

GRAND, SUBLIME AND REVERENTIAL SELECTIONS. 

"O thou that rollest above, round as the shield of my 
fathers! whence are thy beams, O sun! thy everlasting 
light?" 

"All hail the power of Jesus' name! 

Let angels prostrate fall; 

Bring forth the royal diadem, 

And crown him Lord of all." 

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, 

There is a rapture on the lonely shore, 
There is society, where none intrudes, 

By the deep sea, and music in its roar. 
I love not man the less, but Nature more, 

From these our interviews, in which I steal 
From all I may be, or have been before, 

To mingle with the universe, and feel 
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal." 

I heard the trailing garments of the Night 

Sweep through her marble halls! 
I saw her sable skirts all fringed with light 

From the celestial walls! 

O holy Night! from thee I learn to bear 

What man has born before! 
Thou layest thy finger on the lips of Care, 

And they complain no more. 



Peace ! Peace ! Orestes-like I breathe this prayer! 

Descend with broad-winged flight, 
The welcome, the thrice prayed for, the most fair, 

The best beloved Night ! — Longfellow . 

"Awake, my soul! not only passive praise 
Thou owest ! not alone these swelling tears, 
Mute thanks, and secret ectasy ! Awake, 
Voice of sweet song ! Awake, my heart, awake! 
Green vales and icy cliffs, all join my Hymn." 

"O, lonely tomb in Moab's laud, 

O, dark Beth-peor's hill, 

Speak to these curious hearts of ours 

And teach them to be still . 

God hath his mysteries of Grace — 

Ways that we cannot tell; 

He hides them deep, like the secret sleep 

Of him he loved so well." 

REPRESENTATIVE SELECTIONS. 

Apostrophe to the Ocean, Byron. Hymn to Mont 
Blanc, Coleridge. The Burial of Moses, Mrs. Alexander. 



ORATORY 



Is elevated talk or dignified conversation and requires 
the Expulsive form of the Orotund. 

One, one, one, one, one, one, one, one. 

My Lords, you have now heard the principles on which 
Mr. Hastings governs the part of Asia subjected to the British 
empire. Here he has declared his opinion, that he is a de- 
spotic prince; that he is to use arbitrary power; and, of 
course, all his acts are covered with that shield. "I know," 
says he, "The Constitution of Asia only from its practice." 
Will your Lordships submit to hear the corrupt practices of 
mankind made the principles of Government? — Burke. 



J 9 

A man who had trained his undevout heart to believe 
that blind chance or blind destiny occupies the throne of the 
universe; that the heavens and the earth could do without a 
God, though the paltry electorate of Brandenburg could not 
do without a king; and that while it was impossible for him 
to hold the scattered provinces of his little realm together 
without a daily outgoing of civil, military, and judicial 
power, moved by one intellect and one will, could yet be- 
lieve that the systems and systems wmich compose the uni- 
verse, beyond the power of human speech to enumerate, or 
human thought to conceive, are thrown out into one vast 
anarchy, wheeling and hurtling through the regions of space 
without a lawgiver and without a head. — Everett. 

Now, blue-eyed Saxon, proud of your race, go back with 
me to the commencement of the century, and select what 
statesman you please. Let him be either American or 
European; let him have a brain the result of six generations 
of culture; let him have the ripest training of university 
routine; let him add to it the better education of practical 
life; crown his temples with the silver of seventy years; and 
show me the man of Saxon lineage for whom his most 
sanguine admirer will wreathe a laurel rich as embittered 
foes have placed on the brow of this negro. — Phillips. 

Note. — Oratory is not the gift of nature alone. It is the 
reward of assiduous efforts and perfection in this art is 
the work of time and labor. 

EXPLOSIVE OROTUND. 

SELECTIONS OF ANGER, HURRY AND COMMOTION. 

1 'But when he heard their defiance, the boast, the taunt, 

and the insult, 
All the hot blood of his race, of Sir Hugh and of 

Thurston de Standish, 
Boiled and beat in his heart, and swelled in the veins of 

his temples. 






Headlong he leaped on the boaster, and snatching his 

knife from its scabbard, 
Plunged it into his heart, and, reeling backward, the 

savage 
Fell with his face to the sky, and a fiendlike fierceness 

upon it." 

"And there was mounting in hot haste: the steed, 
The mustering squadron, and the clattering car, 
Went pouring forward with impetuous speed, 
And swiftly forming in the ranks of war." 

"Cannon to right of them, 
Cannon to left of them, 
Cannon in front of them, 
Volleyed and thundered: 
Stormed at with shot and shell, 
Boldly they rode and well: 
Into the jaws of death, 
Into the mouth of hell, 
Rode the six-hundred." 

"I sprang to the stirrup, and Joris and he; 

I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three; 

'Good speed!' cried the watch as the gate-bolts undrew, 

'Speed' echoed the wall to us galloping through. 

Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest, 

And into the midnight we galloped abreast. ' ' 

"Yield, mad man, yield! thy horse is down, 
Thou hast nor lance nor shield; 
Fly!— I will grant thee time." "This flag 
Can neither fly nor yield!" 

"Wild was the crash; the shrieks, the yells, 

The screaming of the frightened steeds! 
It seemed as though a score of hells 

Had loosed their fiends for bloody deeds!" 



REPRESENTATIVE SELECTIONS. 

Battle of Fori tenoy, Davis, Warren's Address, Pierpont. 
Charge of the Light Brigade, Tennyson. The Battle of Ivry , 
Macaulay. 



HUMOROUS SELECTIONS 



Require great variety in intonation, with sudden flights 
of the voice from low pitch to very high pitch. The upper 
tones of the voice are peculiarly adapted to this style of 
selections. 

"O, God is good to you! to put you in mind of your 
duty, giving you such bitther cowlds that you are coughing 
and snazin' every Sunday to that dagree that you can't hear 
the blissed mass for a comfort and a benefit to you; and so 
you'll go on snazin' until you put a good thatch on the place, 
and prevint the appearance of the ividence from Heaven 
against you every Sunday, which is condemning you before 
your faces, and behind your backs too, for don't I see this 
minit a strame o' wather that might turn a mill running 
down Micky Mackovoy's back, between the collar of his coat 
and his shirt? 

"Laughing is it you are, at your backslidings and insin- 
sibility to the honor of God. — laughing because when you 
come here to be saved, }~ou are lost intirely with the wet; 
and how, I ask you, are my words of comfort to enter your 
hearts when the. rain is pouring down your backs at the same 
time? Sure I have no chance of turning your hearts while 
you are under rain that might turn a mill, — but once put a 
good roof on the house and I will unindate you with piety. " 

"Its no so kittle as it looks, my freends; and if }>ou give 
me your undivided attention for a few minutes I'll clear away 
the whole difficulty, and mak' what noo seems dark and in- 
comprehensible to your uninstructed minds as clear as the 
sun in his noonday meridian.' 7 



"Say, D'rius! how do you like flyin?" 

"Wal, I like flyiii' well enough, 

But the' ain't sich a thunderin' sight 

O' fun in't when ye come to light." 

"There were anxious young novices," drilling their spell- 
ing books into their brain, 

Loud puffing the word b-o-y boy, like an engine just 
starting its train. 

There were two knowing girls in the corner, each one 
with some beauty possessed, 

In a whisper discussing the problem, which one the 
young master likes best. 

A class in the front with their readers, were telling, with 
difficult pains, 

How perished brave Marco Bozzaris while bleeding at all 
of his veins." 

NARRATIVE, DESCRIPTIVE AND DIDACTIC 
SELECTIONS 

Require purity and variety of tone and distinctness of 
enunciation. The} 7 sometimes involve all the principles of 
the preceding styles. 

"At noon he scratched out a letter, blotted and very 
strangely scrawled, telling Nora what had happened; and 
those who observed him notice that he had no meat with his 
dinner. Indeed from that moment he lived on bread, 
potatoes and cold water, and worked a§ few men ever 
worked before. — It grew T to be the talk of the shop, and now 
that sympathy was excited every one wanted to help Connor. 
Jobs were thrown in his way, kind words and friendly wish- 
es helped him mightily; but- no power could make him share 
the food or drink of any other workman. It seemed a sort 
of charity to him." 

"At length Mr. Dombey, one Saturday, when he came 
down to Brighton to see Paul, who was then six years old, 






I 



resolved to make a change, and enroll him as a small student 
under Doctor Blimber. 

1 'Whenever a young man was taken in hand by Doctor 
Blimber, he might consider himself sure of a pretty tight 
squeeze. The Doctor only undertook the charge of ten 
3'oung gentlemen, but he had always ready a supply of learn- 
ing for a hundred, and it was at once the business and de- 
light of his life to gorge the unhappy ten with it. 

"In fact Doctor Blimber's establishment was a great hot 
house, in which there was a forcing apparatus incessantly at 
work. All the boys blew before their time. Mental green 
peas were produced at Christmas, and intellectual asparagus 
all the year round." 

"Speak the speech I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, 
— trippingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it, as many of 
our players do, I had as lief the town-crier spake my lines. 
Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand thus, but 
use all gently ; for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I 
may say, whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and 
beget a temperance, that may give it smoothness. Oh! it 
offends me to the soul, to hear a robustious periwig-pated 
fellow tear a passion to tatters, — to very rags,— to split the 
ears of the groundlings; who, for the most part, are capable 
of nothing but inexplicable dumb show and noise. I would 
have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant: it out- 
herods Herod. Pray you, avoid it. ' ' 

NoTK. — Represent nature as she should be and not as 
she is. Appear to be natural. It is not necessary to become 
drunk, to impersonate a drunken man. "Hold *the mirror 
up to nature but don't hold nature up." 



HYMN READING. 






Nearly all Hymns are prayers in metrical form, and re- 
quire the Effusive Orotund form of utterance. Revelations, 
the greater part of the Old Testament and the Liturgy also 
employ the Effusive Orotund 



24 

BIBLE READING. 






So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, 
and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the 
reading. — Nehemiah 8, 8. 

The Bible should be read in a dignified, manly manner. 
Avoid any style that is professional, inflated, flippant or 
familiar. 

For the purpose of reading the Bible may be classified 
as follows: 

NARRATIVE PASSAGES. 

The Plain Narrative consists of the simple stories of the 
Bible. Genesis 4, 1-15. 2 Kings' 23. Luke 15, n-32. 
St. John 9; 11. 

The Elevated Narrative sometimes dips into the sublime; 
as, Exodus 3. 1 Kings 8, 1-63. The Acts 2, 14-41; 26, 1-30. 

DIDACTIC PASSAGES. 

Matthew 5; 6; 7. St. John 3, 1-21; 10, 1-19; 14. Romans 
3; 5; 8. 1 Corinthians 13; 15. Ephesians 4. 2 Corin- 
thians 6. 

PASSAGES OF GRANDEUR, SUBLIMITY AND 
MAJESTY. 

From the Prophetic writings. Job 38. Psalms 8; 18; 19; 
29; 97; i J 3; US- Isaiah 40; 53; 54; 55. Jeremiah 6; 7; 14; 22; 
31. Habakkuk 3. Revelation 21. 

Tranquility. — Psalm 23. 

PATHOS AND ENTREATY. 

Psalms 6; 38; 39; 88; 142; 143. 

SOLEMNITY AND AWE. 

Psalms 77, 10-20; 90; 103; 104; 139. 

The student will find it profitable to increase the above 
lists of representative passages. 



25 



DIALECT 

Is the characteristic coloring given to speech by local 
peculiarities or specific circumstances. 

FOREIGN VIEWS OF THE STATUE. 

On the deck of a steamer that came up the Bay, 
Some garrulous foreigners gathered one day, 
To vent their opinions on matters and things 

On this side the Atlantic, 

In language pedantic. 
'Twas much the same gathering that any ship brings. 

"Ah, look ! " said the Frenchman, with pride his lips curled; 
"See ze Liberte Statue enlighten ze world! 
Ze grandest colossal zat evair vas known! 

Thus Bartholdi, he speak: 

Vive la France — Amerique! 
La belle France make ze statue, and God make ze stone!" 

Said the Scotchman: "Na need o'yer spekin' sae free! 

The thing is na sma', sir, that we canna see. 

Do ye think that wi'oot ye the folk couldna tell ? 

Sin 1 'tis Liberty's Statye, 

I ken na why thatye 
Did na keep it at hame to enlighten yoursel ! " 

The Englishman gazed through his watch-crystal eye : 
11 'Pon 'onor, by Jove, it is too beastly 'igh ! 
A monstwosity, weally, too lawge to be seen ! 

In pwoportion, I say, 

It's too lawge faw the Bay. 
So much lawger than one we've at 'ome of the Queen !" 



26 

Ail Italian next joined the colloquial scrimmage: 

"I dress-a my monk just like-a de image, 

I call-a 'Bartholdi' Frenchman got-a de spunk — 

Acall-a me 'Macaron' 

Alose-a me plendy moan! 
He break-a de organ and keel-a de monk!" 

Said Pat: "By the home rule! And that is Libertee! 

She's the biggest owld woman that iver I see! 

Phy don't she sit down? 'Tis a shame she's to stand. 

But the truth is, Oi'm towld, 

That the sthone is too cowld. 
Would ye moind the shillalah she howlds in her hand!" 

Said Isaac: "Shust vait unt I dolt you, vat's der matter ; 
It vas von uf dem mairmaits coomed ouwd fun der vater: 
Unt she hat noddings on; unt der vintry vind plows, 

Unt fur shame, unt fur pidy, 

She vent to der cidy, 
Unt buyed her a suit ob dem reaty-mate clo's." 

Cried Sambo. "Oh! dat's de cullud man's Lor'! 
He's cum back to de earf; somefin' he's lookin' for. 
Alius knowed by de halo surroundin' he's brow; 

Jess you looken dat crown! 

Jess you looken dat gown! 
Lor' 'a' mussy, I knows I's a gone nigga' now!" 

Said the Yankee: "Wall Pve heerd ye discussin' her figger; 
And I reckon you strangers haint seen nuthin' bigger. 
Wall, I haint much on boastin' but I'll go my pile: 

When you furreners cum 

You'll find her to hum! 
E)h, dew I mean what I say? Wall somewhat — I should smile ! 

— The American Magazine. 



27 

GESTURE 

Is the manifestation of thought and feeling by means of 
the head, the arms and the lower limbs. 

PRINCIPAL POSITIONS OF THE FEET. 

Right Front. — Right foot in advance, with the toes at 
an angle of about seventy degrees. The heel of the advanced 
foot should be on a line with the instep of the rear foot. 

Left Front. — The relations of the feet are reversed. 

SECONDARY POSITIONS OF THE FEET. 

Right Lateral. — Swing to the right from a left front 
position. 

Left Lateral. — Swing to the left from a right front 
position. 

EXPRESSIVE MOVEMENTS OF THE LOWER LIMBS. 

i. Congenial Position. — Weight of body resting on the 
rear foot w 7 ith the advanced knee slightly bent. 

2. Moderate Congenial Position. — Short graceful step 
forward, advancing body. 

3. Strong Congenial Position. — Long graceful step 
forward, advancing body. 

4. Emphatic Position. — Knees extended — weight of 
body resting on both feet. 

5. Moderate Emphatic Position. — Short abrupt step 
forward, advancing body. 

6. Strong Emphatic Position. — Long abrupt step for- 
ward, advancing body. 

7. Aversive Position. — Very short abrupt step backward 
w 7 ith the rear foot. 

8. Moderate Aversive Position.- -Short abrupt step 
backward with the advanced foot. 

9. Strong Aversive Position. — Long abrupt step back- 
ward w 7 ith the advanced foot. 

10. Concentrative or Base Position. — Heels together, 
weight of body resting on both feet. 



28 



ii. Impersonative Positions. — Positions assumed in 
imitation of a character. 

12. Kneeling Positions. — I. Slide the advanced foot for- 
ward and rest upon the rear knee. 

2. Slide the rear foot backward and rest upon the 
rear knee. 

13. Walking Movements. 

14. Bowing Movements. 



ARM MOVEMENTS. 



Principal Lines. — Front, Front Oblique, Lateral and 
Rear Oblique. 

USES OF PRINCIPAL LINES. 

Front to Lateral. — Expansion of thought; as, "I ap- 
peal to you sir; to the whole assembly, yea to the whole 
world." 

Lateral to Front. — Increase of force; as, "To such usur- 
pation I will never submit; I repeat it, sir, I will never 
submit; I will die first." 

SUB-LINES AND THEIR USES. 

Descending Line. — Referenc to objects, real or imagined, 
located below; low, base and groveling ideas. "See how 
that rug, those reptiles soil." 

Horizontal Line. — Plain Statement, Ordinary Descrip- 
tion, etc. These are the questions for discussion. 

Ascending Line. — Reference to objects, real or ima- 
gined, located above; pure and elevating thoughts. "The 
very trees were stripped and bare." 

Curved lines are congenial. Straight lines are emphatic. 
POSITIONS OF THE HANDS. 

Hand Prone. — Superposition — one fact or principle rest- 
ing upon another. "Darkness covered the entire earth." 

Hand Vertical. — Aversion — "Red as blood." 

Hand Supine. — Ordinary debate, Assertion, etc. "Not 
an inch of that field was won without a deadly blow." 






2 9 

KINDS OF GESTURE. 

-. f . fDesignative\ / Boldness, Energy, 

Objective. J J^cn^ve. trap**}, PrS- 

I. Assertive. V Qualities. J sion, Variety, Sim- 

] plicity, Magnifi- 

Subjective. -| Significant. f I cence, Grace. 

POINTS IN THE ANALYSIS OF GESTURE, 
i. Preparation. 

2. Execution — Ictus or Emphatic Stroke of the Wrist. 
Repeating Gesture . 

3. Return Movement. 



SPECIAL GESTURES. 



Right Hand Uplifted. — Adjuration, Oath, Solemn Dec- 
laration, Arresting attention. "I swear it shall not be." 
"But, hark! the cry is Astur." 

Both Hands Uplifted. — Awe, Wonder, Surprise, Earnest 
and Sacred Aspirations, Benediction and Arousing Call. 

"How wonderful are thy works, O Lord!" 

t "Angels and Ministers of Grace defend us." 
"Heaven grant you its richest blessings." 
"To arms! to arms! Sir Consul!" 
, 1. Indication, Specific Reference, Emphatic Designa- 
tion, etc. 

"Look to your hearths my lords." 

2. Reproach, Scorn, Contempt. 
"Vipers! that creep where man disdains to climb." 

3. Cautioning, Threatening, etc. 
"Mark my tale with care." 

4. Special Emphasis. 
"I will never submit." 

Hands Clinched. — Extreme Emphasis, Anger, Defiance. 
One Hand.— "I will die first." 
Both Hands. — "Mace, sword and axe rang on his mail." 



3o 

Hands Applied. — Adoration . 
''Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth," 
Hands Clasped. — Supplication, Earnest Entreaty 
Distress. 

''Oh Lord, hear my cry." 
Hands Folded. — Humility. 
"Behold, I am vile." 

HAND ON HEART. 
"Be still, sad heart! and cease repining." 

FOLDING ARMS. 
"An' he folded his arms as he stood there alone." 

DRAWING SWORD. 
"Flashed all their sabers bare, flashed as they turned in 
air." 

WRAPPNIG DRAPERY. 
"Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch about 
him." 

Hand on Chest. — Conscience. 
My conscience tells me it is right. 

EXERCISES FOR PRACTICE. 

Each series consists of thirty-five movements, — twelve 
with the right hand, twelve with the left and eleven double 
movements. 

Congenial Movements — Front — i. Descending; 2. Hor- 
izontal; 3. Ascending. Front Oblique — 4. Descending; 5. 
Horizontal : 6. Ascending. Lateral — 7. Descending ; 8, 
Horizontal ; 9. Ascending. Rear Oblique — 10. Descending. 
11. Horizontal, 12, Ascending. 

Begin with the right hand from a right front position. 
In the Preparation of each movement, the hand must drop 
to the waist and then be brought up at the opposite breast to 
the shoulder. In passing from the ninth movement to the 
tenth, with either hand, the advanced foot should be brought 



3i 

back to the rear oblique line. In the double movements 
the one on the horizontal plane,, rear oblique line, is omitted 
In passing to the eleventh or last of the double movements, 
the right foot should be brought back to the moderate aver 
sive position. 

Repeat the above series, clinching the hand on the Ictus. 

Emphatic Movements. — i. Hand supine from side of 
head. 2. Index finger, hand vertical, from side of head. 3. 
Clinched hand from side of head. 4. Supine hand from 
opposite shoulder. 5. Prone hand from opposite shoulder. 
6. Index finger, hand prone, from opposite shoulder. 
"That all that day unceasing swept, 
Up to the pits the rebels kept." 

Execute from rear oblique line on the sub-lines of the 
front oblique — arms parallel. 

THE PRINCIPLE OF OPPOSITION. 

In objective gestures, the arms and body move in opposi- 
tion, the greater the energy of the gesture, the greater the 
opposition. 

In subjective gestures the arms and body move towards 
each other. 

THE FEATURES. 

Joy, Happiness, Benevolence, Good Humor — Counte- 
nance open and smiling. 

Anger, Defiance, Hatred — The eyes flash, the brows 
contract, the lips compress. 

Scorn, Pride — Lips and nose elevated. 

Surprise, Fear, Secresy — The brows elevated, the eyes 
opened, the lips parted. 

Grief— The eyes half closed, the face dejected. 

Shame — Byes cast down . 

Supplication — Eyes raised. 



CONTENTS. 



Breathing 3 

Bible Reading 24 

Comma, The 13 

Development and Cultivation of the Voice 3 

Dialect 25 

Expression of the Idea 6 

Force 9 

Gesture 27 

Humor 21 

Hymn Reading , 23 

Introduction , 2 

Melody 12 

Current Melody 12 

Melody of the Cadence 13 

Narrative, Descriptive and Didactic Selections 22 

Orotund, Effusive 17 

Oratory 18 

Orotund, Explosive 19 

Practical Hints upon Difficult Vowel Sounds 5 

Pitch n 

Pauses 12 

Penultimate Slide 13 

Principles of Expression 13 

Pathos 13 

Quality 8 

Stress 10 

Slides of the Voice 11 

Semicolon, The 13 

Solemnity 14 

Serenity, Beauty, I^ove and Tranquility 16 

Time 11 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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